Snow Hike in the Drakensberg, September 2012

Saturday morning we check in at Giant's Castle resort and sign the mountain rescue register. We meet some people telling us that Bannerman's Pass is impossible to climb, we will break a leg. This guy knows because he mapped out the area!! Anyway, we just shrug it off and start our hike towards Bannerman's Pass. The Berg is covered with a layer of snow and the closer we get, the more excited we are.

We have lunch at Bannerman's hut and then slowly make our way towards the Pass. The first encounter with the snow is slippery and I start to worry, this could be worse than I thought. However, soon the snow becomes thicker and that worry is over! Now, I am knee deep in the snow, having to lift my legs high out of the holes I make. Making progress is very slow and hard work.

Soon I start to sink in thigh deep and getting out is a mission.

By 5.30 we are finally on top and quickly find a spot to pitch our tents.

The mist rolls in and we can't see a thing, so we have to melt snow for water. We climb into our sleeping bags, make supper, and soon pass out, as it's been a long day. The next morning we wake up to sunshine and a most glorious day:

We have breakfast, pack up and start hiking towards Langalibalele Pass.

Going around past Bannerman's cave the slope is iced up completely and its like we are on an icerink but at a 45 degree angle. We are slipping, holding onto our sticks for dear life, slowly trying to move down the mountain to softer snow. Eventually when its safe, I sit down and slide down the last bit but rapidly accelerating that it becomes scary and I brake by ramming my stick into the solid ground. I nearly jerk out my arm but I've come to a standstill. Now its back to soft deep snow, which is so much hard work again, that Penny eventually crawls on all fours to distribute her weight. Just before the pass we come to a river and have a well earned cuppa tea.

Going down the pass is fairly easy, steven follows the footprints of an animal that knows the exact track and soon we are back below the snow line. We have to strip instantly as the temperatures down below are so much warmer. By 4.30 we are back at our vehicle and have a long journey back to Joh'burg.